Gearbox Oil Level in Level Indicator Window

[Kane]

This is a pretty basic question: on a V11, how much oil should show (how high up the window) in the gearbox level indicator window? I’ve just noticed some seepage dripping from the drain plug on to the exhaust pipe cross-over after the bike’s been sitting for a few days. It also looks a little grimy around the housing gasket. With the bike on its side stand the indicator window shows no oil, but with the bike upright oil shows at the bottom of the window. I’m just trying to get a sense of how badly she’s leaking. I guess the thing to do is top it off and watch it for a while. When you fill the gearbox, how high up the level indicator window do you fill to, and would the bike be on the side stand or placed upright for that?

Thanks!

[Lucky Phil]

36 minutes ago, Kane said:

This is a pretty basic question: on a V11, how much oil should show (how high up the window) in the gearbox level indicator window? I’ve just noticed some seepage dripping from the drain plug on to the exhaust pipe cross-over after the bike’s been sitting for a few days. It also looks a little grimy around the housing gasket. With the bike on its side stand the indicator window shows no oil, but with the bike upright oil shows at the bottom of the window. I’m just trying to get a sense of how badly she’s leaking. I guess the thing to do is top it off and watch it for a while. When you fill the gearbox, how high up the level indicator window do you fill to, and would the bike be on the side stand or placed upright for that?

Thanks!

With the bike level I run the sight glass in the middle. My rational with sight glasses is to have a reading where they are NOT showing completely covered so you know its not over filled and also so if you have a leak you can see visually how much it has dropped. With a full sight glass you never know how much over fill there actually is. Also just about every engine/transmission I've ever owned has been better served by being slightly lower than full.

Ciao  

[Kane]

Thank you. Sounds like she needs a top-up and a watchful eye. 

I was going to use Belray 80w90 unless there’s something better.

[MartyNZ]

13 hours ago, Kane said:

...on a V11, how much oil should show (how high up the window) in the gearbox level indicator window?

Same as Phil, I keep the gearbox oil in the middle of the sight glass when the bike is sitting upright on the shop stand.

I found that I was overfilling my gearbox when I just held the bike up and looked at the level. It takes the oil a while to settle, and I ran out of patience holding the bike up and watching the level. A couple of minor oil weeps were caused by high oil level.

Sitting on the shop stand for more than 10 minutes shows the true level. If you remove the sight glass to clean it, you will see why. It has a quite small hole for oil movement.

[Tinus89]

36 minutes ago, MartyNZ said:

Same as Phil, I keep the gearbox oil in the middle of the sight glass when the bike is sitting upright on the shop stand.

I found that I was overfilling my gearbox when I just held the bike up and looked at the level. It takes the oil a while to settle, and I ran out of patience holding the bike up and watching the level. A couple of minor oil weeps were caused by high oil level.

Sitting on the shop stand for more than 10 minutes shows the true level. If you remove the sight glass to clean it, you will see why. It has a quite small hole for oil movement.

I usually check the level whenever I return from a ride. Because the oil is nice and warm then, it settles much faster when you hold the bike upright. I usually check about 5 min after ending the ride (time to take off the helmet/suit).

[pete roper]

Heavens to Betsy! Don't any of you ever think about stuff like this??

For crying out loud. It's a splash fed gearbox. There are no pressure fed bushes as there are on most 'Conventional' motorbike gearboxes, the whole thing depends on oil being picked up and flung about by the gears that will be whirring around in the mass of aerated oil at the bottom of the gearbox as you are playing Mr. Fur-Chest on a Sunday morning.

Obviously if there is too little then when it's being flung about there won't be enough and keep everything cool and protected. If there is too much it will foam up, (Some oils are worse for this than others.) and will get blurted out of the gearbox breather making a horrid, smelly, mess. BUT the 100-150 ml that makes the difference between the sight glass being 'Full' and it being 'Empty' is really of near zero importance.

If you can see some oil in the sight glass when the bike is upright and level it's good to bloody go! If there isn't enough oil it will squeak! If there's too much you'll get a slippery back tyre. Simples!

Youse need to stop worrying. Think a bit more and ride a bigly much more. Next thing you know we'll have a thread about high hysteresis handlebar grips or something equally mental!

 

[Pressureangle]

Hey, it's Winter here and Wintertime Navel-Gazing is the U.S. National Winter passtime for bikers.